Wrong Focus

Yesterday someone gave me a quote. I added a 3-word postscript. "Blessed is the man who does not consider himself better when he is praised and promoted by men, than when they look on him as vile, stupid, and contemptible. For what a man is before God, that he is, and no more"...and no less. The main part of the quote is by Francis of Assisi. I'm interested in this for several reasons. One is that I often find myself in the minority, and have been harassed, emotionally abused, rejected, and the general underdog. Another reason is my ongoing concern about the popularity of self-esteem theories among Christians. One of the main problems about such theories is that they start from the wrong place. You do not build people up by teaching them to focus on themselves. Another problem is it puts the basis of a relationship with God on oneself. Loving the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and loving your neighbor as yourself is not about loving yourself first. They say, "You can't love God if you don't love yourself." That's not true. This is basically saying that God hasn't given you enough grace with which to love Him. No, God's grace is enough for you, as the Scriptures say. God never tells you to do anything that He doesn't give you the grace to accomplish. No exceptions! Focusing on yourself first keeps you going in circles of inadequacy, and contributes to the problem. This teaching also assumes that love is mainly a feeling. It is not. It is a commitment. Take Proverbs 13:24, for example 24. He who spares his rod hates his son, But he who loves him disciplines him promptly" (NKJV). Now, does that mean the man feels hatred for his son? No. It means he is doing his son a disservice if he doesn't discipline him. It's a lack of commitment, not a feeling. Or take Proverbs 19:8, "He who gets wisdom loves his own soul." (NKJV). This is not about feelings. It is about commitment to yourself and your relationship with God. "He who disdains instruction despises his own soul"
(Proverbs 15:32 NKJV). The one who really hates himself is the one who is not committed to living a disciplined life and building a strong relationship with the Lord. Also, "Love thyself" is the cardinal doctrine of the new age movement. Stay away from it. When Job said 5 “I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, But now my eye sees You. 6 Therefore I abhor myself, And repent in dust and ashes” in Job 42:5-6, God didn't correct him and tell him he should love himself. In fact, God didn't get off his case until he said it! Clearly, something else is going on in Scripture besides teaching us to focus on ourselves. Jesus did not die and rise again to make us feel good about ourselves! He died and rose again to save us from eternal damnation and to make us servants of His to proclaim His glory even if it kills us! We need to focus on God, His estimation of us, and build on our identity with Him. You might be surprised at the results.